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After a short passage of time, several servants entered the arena.

"The preparations are complete, master."

"Perfect, it's time to free him then."

"Of course lord!"

Two servants, then, raised their arms in front of Karma. Simultaneously, they shouted, "Release!"

Immediately after, the shackle unlocked and fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, Karma's eyes couldn't help but gravitate toward the image of the other servants.

In their hands, they each held a cart. Inside the carts, Karma could see a multitude of tools made to inflict pain. Many of which being dirty, rotten, and smeared with the color red. Not paint but stains it seemed.

It was clear. The bloodshot colors were the scars from past victims.

It was an image Karma knew far too well. Afterall, it was only yesterday that he had seem a cart almost identical to the ones that stood before him. An image so terrifying it sent a shiver down his spine upon sight.

Just then, Karma heard Father shout, "Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, this boy here is a cripple. And thus, in order to even the playing field, we are allowing him to choose any weapon he wants. His opponent obviously has the basic gear every warrior receives. But Karma shall receive the privilege of choosing any weapon he desires."

Father turned to Karma. "What do you desire Karma! Your opponent only has a dagger. But you can choose anything. A hammer, a sword, the throwing knifes. What is it that you want!?!?"

"What do I…"

Karma paused for a moment.

He glanced over to the carts once again. What he saw weren't weapons but something else.

"...Desire."

In this battle that Karma would soon partake in, where one's life is on the line for the mere purpose of entertainment, all Karma could see were tools created to endorse suffering.

"That's a good question. I wonder… what is it that I desire."

Karma looked onto the crowd for a moment. All of them were wearing masks. Probably to hide their identities.

The spectators area was split into four quarters. Two families residing in each meaning there were, in total, eight families currently present. All of which were easily distinguishable as each family sat together in unique styles of clothing.

After assessing the audience, he turned his head back toward father.

"I see… so that's my current situation…"

Karma took in a deep breath, held it in for a moment, and exhaled. His body was still trembling. The fear of going into a battle was one he was not prepared for. Even so, he tried to shake the feeling off and afterwards, walked over to the cart.

"Alright, I've decided."

He picked up two dagger alongside four throwing knifes. These two items seemed the most practical to him. A sword would be useless in his hands and a hammer would simply weigh him down. What he needed was speed. The daggers were the best choice.

Turning around once again, he proceeded to walk towards the center of the room. At a certain point, he and Father stood directly in front of each other. In that moment, he whispered, "I desire to live."

Upon hearing this, Father let out a light chuckle.

"That's a bold statement. I've only heard that line once before. If I remember correctly, that person ended up putting in quite a good show. But can you live up to that, I wonder."

Ignoring Father's words, Karma walked to his opponent.

"Mind telling me your name?"

"...Rin… It's Rin Amari."

"I see… are you a cripple as well?"

"Didn't you hear Lord Hiragi earlier?"

"Hiragi? Do you mean Father?"

"I'm from a different branch… he's not my Father. He's Lord Hiragi."

"...I'll take it as a yes then? Well, I don't consider him as my Father either so we have that in common!"

"Hmm… you seem quite relaxed given the fact that I may soon kill you."

"I mean you're quite talkative for someone who may soon become my killer."

"I talk because I respect every man I slay. You asked a question and so I answered. Although you may soon die, at least before it happens, I'll treat you as any other living being."

"...Your reasoning is actually pretty righteous. Even after your 99 wins, you seem to remain human. To be honest, I'm not relaxed at all. I'm actually scared to death. In a couple seconds this battle will start, and I'll be standing on the edge of death's door. It feels suffocating… I guess… pretending to be relaxed kind of makes me feel secure."

"Even if it's pretend?"

"...Even if it's pretend."

"Alright then, Karma, I see… That kind of thinking isn't necessarily bad, although, it's not good either. As for your earlier question, no I'm not a cripple. I'm a low tier. I may not have gone through what you have but I know full well of the term pain."

After this conversation, Father and his servants moved toward the exits. Once reached, they held their hands out and shouted, "Fall!"

Immediately after, the tiles near the outer ring began to tremble and shift. Slowly, the ground cracked and as the tremors continued, it broke at a faster pace. Until eventually, the outer ring completely collapsed leaving a gaping hole surrounding the outskirts of the arena.

Surprised by the sudden change, Karma went over to look over the remaining platform. He could see no bottom. That's when he realized that this hole was here to prevent anyone to escape from the battle once it begins.